This week’s reading and lecture dealt with design for international users. Having never been off this continent until I went to Europe last June, I quickly realized not everything is done like we do here in good old Connecticut. Language even in England, where the similarities aren’t even that different, have many differences in actuality. I quickly realized this when someone asked me if I was in the queue. I politely said “What?,” but little did I know that queue is the same thing as standing in line. I’m so uncultured. But this got me thinking about how important design is if you are looking to reach audiences across the globe. Different colors have different meanings in many countries, along with other things such as images and symbols. Also, some people don’t read a flow of text the same as we do in the States. So when designing a website that could reach beyond these boarders, you have to be careful of the context.

I think in the future we will still have to foster to each countries unique traits. Differences in cultures is what makes this world such a unique and interesting place, so I don’t see us becoming unified with everything we do in the near future. You should definitely take in consideration certain colors, such as red, that have meanings for happiness and caution in differing cultures. Also, images are important, so you have to be sure to use images that are universal, and not images that only you and your local population will understand. It can also effect your aesthetics of your website, making it very confusing to some people and thus killing its usability you tried so hard to create. So remember these things, and think outside your own bubble when creating a website design for a universal audience.